Friday, July 31, 2015

I need to brag about a good friend. Adrianne Surian of Happy Hour Projects has been one of my best blogging buddies since our blogs were in their infancy. I am not exaggerating when I say I talk to her on almost a daily basis! A lot of work goes on behind the scenes of a blog and she's been a mentor, a cheerleader, a huge support to me for many years. So when she told me she was signing a contract with a publishing company to write a book I was beyond ecstatic for her! I wanted to scream it from the rooftops! She put so much work into this and DIY T-Shirt Crafts is now available for purchase! I was so excited to get a copy in the mail this week and wanted to share the details with all of you. Plus there is a giveaway at the end of this post!

This book is chock-full of t-shirt craft ideas. Many of them made from one of my favorite mediums: T-shirt Yarn! I actually never realized how many crafty things you can do with T-shirt yarn! Adrianne really took to the time to beautifully photograph all of her tutorials with step-by-step instruction as well as providing detailed explanations. I am so impressed each project and such a variety of ideas. The book is mapped out in four parts:1. Jewelry and Scarves2. Accessories3. For the Home4. Great Gifts

Here are some of my favorite projects that are featured in the book:

Braided Yarn Bowl

Pom Pom Garland

Knotted Hanging Planter

Ruffle Scarf

Yep, they are all made from repurposed t-shirts!

Best part of all, Adrianne is hosting a reader giveaway! 5 copies of the book are available!

Adrianne Surian is a west Michigan mom of 2 who's been crafting long since before it was cool. She founded Happy Hour Projects in 2011 as a way of sharing hour-or-less crafts, accessories, and recipes with other busy people who want to add some creativity to their days. Her philosophy of "use what you have" when crafting prompted her to explore the versatility of t-shirts, and fifty projects later, DIY T-Shirt Crafts was published by Adams Media.

About the book:

DIY T-Shirt Crafts explores 50 ways you can recycle a t-shirt into other kinds of accessories, gifts, and home decor. It transforms an old tee into something else entirely, and you can complete every project without using a sewing machine. True to Adrianne's quick-craft addiction, the projects are all designed to be completed in an hour or less.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

I successfully finished my first Corner to Corner (C2C) Graphgan! The C2C works up much quicker than the pixel square blanket and the bobble stitch blanket so it's a great option for those of you who want to give pixel crochet a try. In this post I am going to give you the basics about creating a C2C blanket. There is no specific pattern to follow, you create these afghans by following a pixel graph, working from the bottom right hand corner, row by row, until you get the top left hand corner!

I took a lot of video throughout the creation of this project... but when I looked back on it, it seemed to be too confusing. I decided to show you how to make a C2C by crocheting a small graph. That way you can see how to start, make increases, create your "maintain" rows, and then how to do the decreases. You can apply the techniques in the video to a large more complex graphgan.

Here is a separate video on how to make color changes!

Remember to mark off each square as you go! Double check your work to make sure you haven't missed a square. If one thing doesn't line up, the whole design will be thrown off.

The entire C2C Graphgan took me a little over a week to complete. The finished size is approximately 58x64 inches and the graph was 73x70 squares. You can see my day to day progress in the pictures below!

Now lets talk about the border!

When you finish the C2C you will notice your edges will have a combination of a chain followed by 3 double crochets. To make a single crochet border, you want to make 2 SC in the chain parts and one SC over each double crochet part. This will create a nice even edge.

I made a simple border using 4 rows of single crochets (first beige, then antique rose, then pink, then blue) finishing with a picot edging in white. Each corner needs to have a SC + 2 chains + SC. The picot edging is 3 SC, *chain 3, slip stitch to first chain, SC in next 3 stitches, repeating from *. Try your best to land on a picot in each corner. If you need to add in an extra SC or skip a stitch, it really won't be that noticeable. Getting a clean corner is more important!

The back is just as beautiful as the front (as pictured below)! The image is just reversed.

I didn't plan this out but I love a happy accident! This C2C graphgan fits perfectly on a twin size bed!

I hope you like my baby sheep C2C! Looking forward to seeing what you create as well!

*** You may make and sell products from my patterns but if you do I ask that you link back to my post. Please do not copy and post this pattern and claim it as your own. Please do not re-publish photos as your own.***

Want more free patterns? Keep in touch on myRepeat Crafter Me Facebook Page for new pattern sneak peeks and when they will be available on my blog! And feel free to post pictures of your finished hats and/or links to your shops on my Facebook wall so all can see. Be sure to also follow me on Instagram! I love when you tag me (@repeatcrafterme)!

NEW!! I would love for you to join my brand new privateFacebook group: Repeat Crafter Me Crochet. Tons of kind and supportive women with crocheting skills of all levels. Post your current projects, ask questions, and get inspired!

Friday, July 24, 2015

I got my hands on some of the new larger Clover Amour Crochet Hooks and they are so fun to work with and pair perfectly with super chunky yarn! I created a quick and easy basketball rug from my sons sports themed room using two strands of bulky yarn and the P/Q 15mm hook. Much larger than your typical hook, but so comfortable and light! This project works up extremely quickly and there are so many options for embellishments. Think baseball, soccer, or just a fun multi-colored circle rug. Stay tuned for a girly version for my daughters room!

With two strands of orange yarn (its best to pull from two separate skeins)

Magic Ring, chain 1 and make 10 SC in ring, do not join, continue to crochet in rounds

Round 2: 2 SC in each stitch around (20 SC)

Round 3: SC in each stitch around (20 SC)

Round 4: 2 SC in first stitch, SC in next, repeat around (30 SC)

Round 5: SC in each stitch around (30 SC)

Round 6: 2 SC in first stitch, SC in next 2, repeat around (40 SC)

Round 7: SC in each stitch around (40 SC)

Round 8: 2 SC in first stitch, SC in next 3, repeat around (50 SC)

Round 9: SC in each stitch around (50 SC)

Round 10: 2 SC in first stitch, SC in next 4, repeat around (60 SC)

Round 11: SC in each stitch around (60 SC)

Round 12: 2 SC in first stitch, SC in next 5, repeat around (70 SC)

Round 13: SC in each stitch around (70 SC)

Round 14: 2 SC in first stitch, SC in next 6, repeat around (80 SC)

Round 15: SC in each stitch around (80 SC)

Round 16: 2 SC in first stitch, SC in next 7, repeat around (90 SC)(Feel free to keep continuing with the pattern, increasing every other row to make larger)
change to black yarn

Round 17: SC with only one strand in back loops only. Join, fasten off and weave in ends.

Make 3 chains with black yarn of approx 40 chains long.

Sew them on to rug with jumbo tapestry needle. Try not to weave needle through backside of rug... weave it in-between stitches and through the middle of the chains. Start with the line down the center and then sew on two curved lines on either side.

My oldest just finished up a week of basketball camp with former pro basketball player Norman Nolan and was very excited about his new room accessory :)

Thank you to Clover Needlecraft for providing me with the chance to try out their new larger Amour Hooks. I was not compensated for this post and all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

*** You may make and sell products from my patterns but if you do I ask that you link back to my post. Please do not copy and post this pattern and claim it as your own. Please do not re-publish photos as your own.***

Want more free patterns? Keep in touch on myRepeat Crafter Me Facebook Page for new pattern sneak peeks and when they will be available on my blog! And feel free to post pictures of your finished hats and/or links to your shops on my Facebook wall so all can see. Be sure to also follow me on Instagram! I love when you tag me (@repeatcrafterme)!

NEW!! I would love for you to join my brand new private Facebook group: Repeat Crafter Me Crochet. Tons of kind and supportive women with crocheting skills of all levels. Post your current projects, ask questions, and get inspired!

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Some things go well together: peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, bees and honey, and my favorite COFFEE & CROCHET! Starbucks happened to take notice of my love for coffee and sent me some samples of their Core Coffee Series! I frequently stay up late crocheting "just one more row" so this mom of 3 needs multiple cups of coffee to make it through the day :) Of course there is nothing I love more than enjoying my coffee along with a little crochet time. I whipped up some fun crochet coffee mug coasters that would be perfect for a hostess gift and would also work as an appliqué. Or keep them for yourself and use the next time you have company! Free pattern is posted below!

Growing up in Seattle, Starbucks has always been my go-to coffee spot plus you can find many of their coffees (including the ones in this post) available in grocery stores! I had the pleasure of trying the Starbucks® Veranda® blend,Starbucks® House Blend, and the Starbucks® Caffe Verona® blend. The House Blend is my favorite and has been my coffee of choice for some time now but I also really like the lighter more mellow taste of the Veranda Blend. So happy to have found a new favorite! Try them for yourself and let me know which one you like best!

No need for a fancy coffee maker either! I love my Starbucks® Classic Pour-Over Brewer! It brews a single serving cup of coffee and is so easy to use! Just place it over your mug with a Melitta #2 coffee filter and pour hot water over the ground beans.

Crochet Coffee Coaster pattern:

Materials:

- Size H Crochet Hook

- Worsted weight yarn in main mug color and brown. I used Lion Brand Vanna's Choice which is an acrylic yarn but a nice cotton yarn would work as well.

- Tapestry needle

Abbreviations:

SC = Single Crochet

HDC = Half Double Crochet

DC = Double Crochet

Starting with main mug color

Chain 7, SC in second chain from hook and rest of way down, chain 1, turn (6 SC)

Drop main color but don't fasten off. Change to brown yarn, chain 1, turn
Row 14: SC in first 2, HDC, DC in next 6, HDC, SC in last 2, fasten off brown yarn
Pick up main color yarn again and slip stitch across top (of brown) in back loops only, continue to SC around edges of cup and join with slip stitch to first slip stitch, chain 1, turn,

As a new member of the Starbucks Blogger Community I will be posting several Coffee + Crafty posts sporadically over the coming year! I hope you stick around to see my coffee reviews which will always include a new free coffee themed crochet pattern or craft tutorial! Starbucks did not compensate me for this post. All opinions about the coffee and other products are 100% my own!

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Create your own stitch markers with this quick and crafty tutorial! Made out of perler beads (also called fusion beads and hama beads), each one has the crochet hook letter size so if you put down your crochet project for awhile, you will always know which hook to use when you do get around to picking it back up.

The G and J (and other letters with curves) work best with the hexagon plate.

Fill in around letters with different color beads.

Place parchment paper (or paper that comes with perler bead pack) over beaded plate and iron until beads are melted together. But don't over do it. You will need a small hole in the upper left hand corner to attach your clasp!

Place jump ring through hole in upper left hand corner. Then attach clasp.

You may need needle nose pliers to help bend the wire.

All done and ready to be used! Consistently putting the clasp in the upper left will allow you to keep the letters right side up.. this will help in making sure you don't confuse the "H" with the "I." You could also add one more bead in the "I" to make it longer and differentiated.

A fun project to work on with the kids. My oldest and I had fun crafting together today!

Oh and here is my attempt at a perler bead yarn ball. What do you think?

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Know a music lover or aspiring DJ? This crochet headphones hat will be the perfect accessory! Start with a basic HDC beanie and then stitch the crocheted headphones on. They could also double as earmuffs for a cute winter hat :)

Headphone strap:with navy blue yarnChain 4, SC in second chain from hook and in last two chains, chain 1, turnRow 2- end*: SC in each stitch across, chain 1, turn (3 SC)*Strap should be long enough to reach from one side of hat to the other.SC around edges of strap. Fasten off leaving long tail to sew onto beanie.Sew strap on first and then earphones over the strap.Too add a little more character to the hat you can chain a pretend cord. Attach to each earphone and then chain a another long cord down the middle. I don't suggest adding this embellishment if making this for a baby or small child. You can even crochet a little iPhone with felt apps :)

6 going on 16. Am I right?! When did my first born get so big?!

*** You may make and sell products from my patterns but if you do I ask that you link back to my post. Please do not copy and post this pattern and claim it as your own. Please do not re-publish photos as your own.***

Want more free patterns? Keep in touch on myRepeat Crafter Me Facebook Page for new pattern sneak peeks and when they will be available on my blog! And feel free to post pictures of your finished hats and/or links to your shops on my Facebook wall so all can see. Be sure to also follow me on Instagram! I love when you tag me (@repeatcrafterme)!

NEW!! I would love for you to join my brand new private Facebook group: Repeat Crafter Me Crochet. Tons of kind and supportive women with crocheting skills of all levels. Post your current projects, ask questions, and get inspired!

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Hi and thanks for stopping by! I'm Sarah, the crafter, crocheter and crockpoter behind this blog. Thanks to my wonderful, hard working husband, I am able to stay at home with my two preschool age boys and my newborn baby girl! I have a passion for crafting and crocheting and offer my patterns and tutorials for free! Occasionally I will show you a new crock pot recipe as well :) I hope you enjoy everything you find here and please feel free to repeat after me! ♥, Sarah